I strongly recommend Angela and ACtutoring for Mandarin tutoring for both adults and children. In particular, what sets the ACtutoring approach apart is their emphasis on correct pronunciation and conversational fluidity. These skills cannot be easily learned in a group class or through self-study, and learning them incorrectly will forever handicap you or your children with poor spoken Mandarin. Even if you are considering or already taking other classes, you should include ACtutoring in your Mandarin education program.

I grew up speaking Italian and always loved being able to switch between languages. When I was ready to learn another language, I decided learning Mandarin would be the best choice given how many people in the world speak it and the current geopolitical climate. I chose AC Tutoring due to their catered lessons and their flexibility. I get to choose the schedule that works best for me and my lessons are slowed down or sped up based on my individual performance. I live in the peninsula and my tutor and I coordinate each week to meet either at a cafe of at a library depending on the content of the lesson. Should I have spikes in work or travel, my tutor and I build this into our lesson plan. After 1 year, I took a trip to China in which I felt very comfortable navigating alone and making every day conversation with locals. Highly recommended for someone looking to learn the language but who needs more flexibility as compared to a structured, weekly class.

I have two demanding daughters aged 5 and 7 who needed extra help with their mandarin. We had great success with AC tutoring and my elder daughters teacher said she’d never seen a student improve so quickly. AC tutoring were very flexible in organising times that fitted in with the school schedule and term dates, I would highly recommend them.

As a language education professional myself, I have exceedingly high standards when it comes to choosing a language tutor. After my first lesson with Angela, I knew that I had struck gold.

Some standout qualities:
-She is incredibly attentive and 110% engaged for the duration of each session
-She uses a great textbook and a method that gets you *communicating* in Mandarin right away instead of just learning how to speak in theory
-She gives very consistent feedback and holds you to high standards, which is paramount to form good habits when learning a foreign language
-She’s easy to get along with and very understanding

In sum, I give Angela my highest recommendation! Just be prepared–learning Mandarin is no small undertaking.